Italy-based Golfo di Napoli Dairy plans to locate a commercial organic cheese plant in Warren, Indiana. The company plans to create up to 35 jobs by 2021 in Huntington County.

Golfo di Napoli Dairy, a newly-established venture, will be owned and operated by a team of fourth generation cheese producers from Italy. The company plans to invest $9.5 million to establish the plant, constructing an approximately 3,000-square-foot plant on a 40-acre site along Interstate-69 at Exit 278 in Warren. The plant, which will utilize USDA certified organic milk from Fair Oaks Farms, will produce mozzarella, burrata, ricotta, provolone and other cheeses made using the pasta filata technique, which is traditionally used in the Naples region.

“We chose Indiana because we believe that it is the perfect location to produce authentic Neapolitan mozzarella, serving customers across the Midwest,” said Antonio Somma, President of Golfo di Napoli Dairy. “This facility and our partnership with Fair Oaks Farm will allow us to expand our cheese production expertise to the U.S. Local organic milk with incredible Italian taste, as we like to say.”

The company, which has already acquired the land, plans to begin construction in September once the appropriate permits are finalized. Golfo di Napoli Dairy expects to begin hiring for the new facility before the end of 2018 in order to begin production in February 2019.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) offered Golfo di Napoli Dairy up to $300,000 in conditional tax credits based on the company's job creation plans. These incentives are performance-based, meaning until Hoosiers are hired, the company is not eligible to claim incentives. The Huntington County Board of Commissioners approved additional grant funding at the request of Huntington County Economic Development Corporation.

“Indiana’s agriculture industry supports approximately 107,500 jobs, providing opportunities for Hoosiers and their families across the state,” said Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch, who also serves as Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture. “With nearly 1,000 Hoosier dairies and 26 dairy processing plants, Golfo di Napoli Dairy will have quick and plentiful access to fresh milk, making Indiana the perfect fit for its first U.S. production facility.”

“It’s my privilege to publicly offer our thanks to Mr. Somma and his team for investing in our county. We are thrilled to be the Indiana home of Golfo di Napoli,” said Larry Buzzard, president of the Huntington County Board of Commissioners and board member for the Huntington County Economic Development Corporation (HCUED). “The Commissioners, the town of Warren and HCUED have had this site on our long-range plans for years. The Indiana Site Certified program hyper-accelerated interest in this location. I can’t say enough about the state and local collaboration it’s taken to make this possible. Teamwork like this produces great results.”